The Icelandicís have finally sold their remaining ten percent shareholding of West Ham United to an American investment firm called The Blackstone Group. The firm boast they have $371billion assets under their management.

As part of the sale of shares, Albert ĎTrippí Smith joins the board of West Ham directors to undersee the new investment.

Albert (Tripp) Smith is a Senior Managing Director of The Blackstone Group, and a Founder of GSO Capital Partners. Before co-founding GSO which he sold to Blackstone in 2008 for about $1bn. Prior to that Smith was Global Head of the Capital Markets Group within the Alternative Capital Division of CSFB.

The sale ends an eleven-year association with the former Icelandic consortium who were victims of the 2008 financial crisis.

If you check out The Blackstone Group they list over a hundred 'Senior Managing Directors' although Tripp is only the 9th in the lists it doesn't make him that important in the organisation.

He reputedly got $1bn for selling his own fund into Blackstone (sounds like a Mat Damon movie!) but still runs it as an employee MD. It may well be genuine that he is pursuing his own interests because it is obvious that someone will make a lot of money when G&S eventually sell up because they will...

I assume there is definitely an ulterior motive for a largish investment Senior Managing Director to come on board other than to take in the odd game when he is this side of the pond.

As others allude, purchasing the stadium at a substantial reduction in premium if it should come available due to Birmingham or other is a no brainer for the 2bobs.

Inconsideration that the Qataris enjoyed a ¬£275m discount when they purchased the Olympic Village I would also expect there would be a large reduction in any sale price for the White Elephant stadium as it costs the taxpayer ¬£8m just to move the seats and approximately three quarters of the stadium would need to be demolished to change it from a multi-use stadium into a dedicated football stadium.

I am sure Mr Smith's investment contacts and expertise will be utilised to help facilitate the above in the years ahead when the stadium becomes available for sale.

Once the 2bobs own the Freehold they will be free from the shackles of the LLDC sell on caveats, hence collectively the club will be of a much higher worth and become a much more enticing prospect for a wealthy buyer.

Let's hope the buyer(s) when they come do not have short arms and long pockets like the 2bobs.

And Gav, you raise an excellent point, my immediate thought was that Sulli would want those shares and was somehow precluded but you are absolutely correct, he did always refer to investment from viable third parties

Also, whilst it is an easy shot with the dildo and porn references, he is no fool, an accountant who graduated in economics, he knows his way around a pound

TrevI wonder if the Icelandic holding may be the more revelatory end of the deal?If I remember correctly, after the collapse there was a consolidation of asset and a managed disposal, of which our club was the last retainedMind you, that was a while back and there have been a few Stellas under the bridge since so I may be talking bollocks - again